...Hancock Being a movie fanatic, life is measured by when the next big movie release is going to be. One of the movies I have been looking forward to for a while was Hancock. Unfortunately, the movie was released in theatres during the summer when I was visiting Hong Kong and by the time I got back, it wasn’t in theatres anymore so I had to wait for the movie to be released on DVD. The movie is directed by Peter Berg and stars Will Smith and Charlize Theron. The movie takes place in modern day Los Angeles and revolves around an alcoholic superhero named Hancock that doesn’t care about his appearance and seen as a homeless, played by Will Smith. Unfortunately, due to his alcoholic problems, when he is saving people and taking out criminals, he causes a lot of property damage and puts other civilians in danger, which makes the citizens of Los Angeles somewhat despise him. The beginning of the movie follows Hancock in his adventures around Los Angeles bringing criminals to justice while causing a lot of destruction along the way. The movie then goes to another main character; a public relations manager played named Ray Embrey who just unsuccessfully tried to pitch a new charity logo to some corporate executives and is on his way home when he gets stuck on some train tracks while a train is coming. Hancock then comes just in time to save him, but derails the train in the process. The people around the scene start to boo him, but Ray thanks him for saving his life and offers...
Words: 1385 - Pages: 6
...One Night with Blue Note “One Night with Blue Note” directed by John Jopson is based on a jazz concert performed at The Town Hall in New York City on February 22, 1985. This film brings together some of the jazz legends associated with Blue Note over the years as well as some newly signed artists. The concert introduces more than 30 of the world’s most revered jazz musicians in the form of all-star bands and is considered by many to be one of the most important nights in jazz history. Some of the great jazz musicians we heard were Freddie Hubbard, Jackie McLean, Jimmy Smith, Woody Shaw, Walter Davis Jr., Michel Petrucciani Art Blakey, Stanley Turrentine, Joe Henderson, Grover Washington, Jr., and Tony Williams. My favorite artist in the film was Michel Petrucciani. He is not only a great talented pianist but an inspiration as well. Michel Petrucciani was born with osteogenesis imperfecta which is a genetic disease that causes brittle bones and short stature. He still became one of the most accomplished jazz pianists of his generation, despite having arms which caused him pain. I believe that he teaches us that anything is possible with hard work and dedication no matter how hard things may seem. Although I am not a big music fan, I feel this concert was worthwhile watching as well as listening too. At the end I am glad I watched this film because it allowed me to be more open minded to music and the different styles and forms. These people and countless more, and innumerable...
Words: 289 - Pages: 2
...and a squad of British solders. On the cold, snowy night of March 5, 1770, a mob of American colonists gathers at the Customs House in Boston and begins taunting the British soldiers guarding the building. The commanding officer at the Customs House, ordered his men to fix their bayonets and join the guard outside the building.The colonists responded by throwing snowballs and other objects at the British regulars, and Private Hugh Montgomery was hit, leading him to discharge his rifle at the crowd. Boston , the capital of the Province of Massachusetts Bay and an important shipping town, was a major center of resistance to unpopular acts of taxation customs officials seized the Liberty , a sloop owned by leading Boston merchant John Hancock , on allegations that the ship had been involved in smuggling. The crowd continued to press around the soldiers, taunting them by yelling, "Fire!", by spitting at and throwing snowballs and other small objects at them. [ 23 ] Richard Palmes, a local innkeeper who was carrying a cudgel (ie, club), came up to Preston and asked if the soldiers' weapons were loaded. He recovered his weapon, and was thought to angrily shout "Damn you, fire!", then discharged it into the crowd though no command was actually given. Palmes swung his cudgel first at Montgomery, hitting his arm, and then at Preston. He narrowly missed Preston's head, striking him on the arm instead. In the days and weeks following the incident, a propaganda battle was waged...
Words: 519 - Pages: 3
...Cultural Event Report The cultural event that I attended prior to my departure for Afghanistan is a jazz concert at the Richmond Library. The concert was performed by the Richmond Youth Jazz Guild and the event was free. My youngest son has been performing with the Jazz Guild since 2010 and they are some of the most talentant kids. I physical don’t remember the date and time but the start time was 8:00 p.m. This music selection on this night was from Miles Davis; one of the greatest jazz performers of all times. The night was very calm, everyone was very professional, and the kids had black suits with white shirts and black ties. The concert was schedule for one hour and a half but the audience loved the kids so much it went for two in half hours. That night every kid got a chance to perform multiple solos and some kids sound like professional performers. This particular concert had some of the local music professor which invited some the kids to their jazz summer camp free of charge. The whole was amazing to see your men and women below the age of 15 that love the art of music; this program has done wonders for my son and the other kids. Richmond Youth Jazz Guild had received an invite to perform with Wynton Marsalis and open up for his concert at Christopher Newport College. This night was so incredible for the kids; there were sparking all night. It was like Christmas time all over again; Mr. Marsalis took two hours before the concert to speak to each child and...
Words: 773 - Pages: 4
...Paul Doiron is an American novelist best known for the writing of a series of very popular mystery thrillers – the Mike Bowditch series. He is a retired editor of the Down East: The Magazine of Maine where he served between 2005-2013 before he quit to pursue a full time career. Born and raised in Maine, he went to Yale University for his Bachelors in English before proceeding to Emerson College where he graduated with an MFA in Creative Writing. He is a member of the MAINE Humanities Council and the Maine Arts Commission. He is also a Registered Maine Guide and lives near a trout stream where he spends most of his time fly-fishing. Paul Doiron’s made his name with the Mike Bowditch series of novels. The first novel in the series was the 2010 published The Poachers Son, which went on to spawn many more novels since then. One of the most popular and critically acclaimed thriller novels out there, the novels have won nominations for and won many prestigious awards over the years. PAUL DOIRON AWARDS: Paul Doiron’s novels have won him many awards over the years. The first novel in the series was nominated for the Best Fiction of 2010 in the Maine Literary Awards, Best Novel at the Thriller Awards, a Macavity, an Anthony, and an Edgar Award. It was also the winner of Best First Novel at the Strand Critics Award and the Barry Award. Trespasser his second novel was a winner of the Maine Literary Award. The third novel was on the shortlist for the Maine Literary Award and the RT Reviewers...
Words: 779 - Pages: 4
... With all Love, Ben Zucchini John Hancock John Hancock was born on January 23rd, 1737, in Braintree, Massachusetts. After his father died, he was raised by his wealthy aunt and uncle. John Hancock went on to graduate Harvard in 1754. After he had graduated he went to go work for his Uncle. After his uncle, Thomas Hancock, died, John Hancock inherited his import-export business and became one of the richest men in all of New England. Hancock would later on be very generous with his wealth. He used it for public projects; however, he received criticism from many people including Samuel Adams, for living a plentiful life. In 1775 John Hancock married Dorothy Quincy, daughter of a merchant. They had two children, a boy and a girl. Neither of which survived to adulthood. In 1776 John Hancock entered local politics when he was elected Boston selectman. The next year, he won election to Massachusetts legislature. Around this time, British began imposing tax laws, and trying to gain more control over the thirteen colonies. The colonists opposed these laws, and started to become anti-British, this lead to the American Revolution. Hancock came into direct conflict with the British, when one of his ships, the Liberty, was taken by British in the Boston Harbor. They claimed he had illegally unloaded goods, without paying the proper taxes. Hancock was popular in Boston, and the claiming of his ship, lead to many angry colonists. Hancock had been becoming more, and more involved...
Words: 708 - Pages: 3
... Bumgardner 1 Kyle Bumgardner Professor Chuck Bumgardner Writing 9/12/14 The Life of John Adams John Adams was born on October 30, 1735, in the small town of Braintree, Massachusetts, the first child of his parents, Susanna Boylston and John Adams, senior. His early years were spent delightfully; he lived a carefree childhood, free from worry or catastrophe. Upon his reaching the proper age, his father was determined to give him a proper education and enrolled him in the local dame school, hoping his young son would become a distinguished minister. This determination was remarkable. Children in that day farmed and did chores; schooling was not considered necessary. Yet Adam’s father respected the learned and wanted to give his son a chance in life, just as, two generations ago, his Grandfather had given his oldest son a sound education in lieu of an inheritance, thus starting a family tradition...
Words: 2389 - Pages: 10
...According to the Gregorian calendar, John Hancock was born on January 23, 1737; according to the Julian calendar then in use, the date was January 12, 1736.[5] He was born in Braintree, Massachusetts, in a part of town that eventually became the separate city of Quincy.[6] He was the son of the Reverend John Hancock of Braintree and Mary Hawke Thaxter (widow of Samuel Thaxter Junior), who was from nearby Hingham. As a child, Hancock became a casual acquaintance of young John Adams, whom the Reverend Hancock had baptized in 1735.[7][8] The Hancocks lived a comfortable life, and owned one slave to help with household work.[7] After Hancock's father died in 1744, John was sent to live with his uncle and aunt, Thomas Hancock and Lydia (Henchman)...
Words: 747 - Pages: 3
...John Adams was born in Braintree, Massachusetts, on October 30, 1735. He was the oldest of three sons. His father was a shoemaker and a farmer who also served as an official in local government. John Adams was a strong student that graduated from Harvard College in 1775. After college Adams taught school for several years and studied law with an attorney in Worcester, Massachusetts. He began his law career in 1758 and would be one of Boston’s most important attorneys in years to come. He married Abigail Smith in 1764, a minister’s daughter from Weymouth, Massachusetts, with who he had six children. Abigail would become John’s trusted confidant. She was also well-read and could correspond with John while he was away especially while he was in Europe for long periods of time. Letters that have survived the years have shown that she was an efficient thinker and proved to be very influential in John’s career. During the 1760s, Adams commenced challenging Great Britain’s ascendancy in colonial America. He came to dislike Britain’s imposition of high taxes and tariffs and he no longer believed that the regime in England had the colonists’ best intrigues in mind. He criticized the Stamp Act of 1765, in which Britain levied a tax on licit documents, newspapers and playing cards in the colonies. Adams later verbalized against the Townshend Acts of 1767, which taxed goods such as paper, glass and tea that were imported to America. Despite his remonstration to what he mentally conceived...
Words: 732 - Pages: 3
...EARNING THE RIGHT Chris McCandless‘s was a mysterious and unique individual. Not many or possibly anyone could say they could live off the Alaskan Bush for three months with what little equipment and supplies he humbly chose to work with. Although some friends warned McCandless “living in the bush ain’t no picnic,” and critics thought he was ill prepared and just out for an adventure he knew nothing about, Jon Krakauer thought differently. After spending an extensive amount of time trying to back track everywhere McCandless had been within the last couple of years of his life Krakauer showed great devotion and dedication to letting the world know McCandless’s story. Krakauer primarily uses McCandless’s journal entries, photographs, and books to try to gain a deeper understanding of the young man. I find it amazing Krakauer being a journalist in Alaska would not go directly to the site where McCandless died but, traveled all over the country to find out who this individual was and his purpose or meaning for going to Alaska. Krakauer found McCandless to be a riveting and intellectual human being. However misunderstood McCandless was Krakauer, wanted to prove that McCandless was important and not crazy. In Krakauer’s book there are some chapters dedicated to men with similar stories to McCandless such as Everett Ruess, an artist and wanderer who went missing in Utah, who did similar things and had a similar background as McCandless. Krakauer defends McCandless by comparing...
Words: 979 - Pages: 4
...Into the Wild Many people have the need to go and discover themselves, but lacked the bravery to do it. The non-fiction book titled “Into the Wild”, written by Jon Krakauer; portrays the journey of Christopher McCandless to the Alaskan wilderness, and the events that had led to his departure. His youthful self-centeredness, unfamiliarity of the wild and overconfidence all proved him responsible for his own demise. Christopher McCandless is not just any other stupid hitchhiker who had thrown his life away. He was educated man who had been raised by relatively wealthy family. He took isolation from the society to the extreme; donated all his savings to charity, gave away most of his possessions and abandoned his past. Unfortunately for his family, in his youthful self-centeredness he failed to acknowledge human relationships. Though perhaps as Krakauer thinks, given more time, he would have. Chris challenged himself and went to the wilderness, with little amounts of food supply and equipment. The fact that he had chosen to enter the wild and take such huge undertaking; one would think he lacked common sense. He knew what the risks were and consequences, but he still did it. “It was important for him to see how independent he could be” (page 125). The unforgiving nature of Alaskan wilderness does not take part human’s fragility and Chris understood that fact; “If this adventure proves fatal and you don't ever hear from me again I want you to know you're a great man. I now...
Words: 498 - Pages: 2
...Andrea Perez English 110 A journey of self-discovery Going into the wild, Chris McCandless, a young man, whose past shows the wounds of a troubled family, gives up living by the standards of society and decides to go in an adventure for two years. Living as a tramp, traveling around; first by car, then by foot, meeting people on the road but always continuing towards his ultimate adventure: Alaska, McAndless shows great determination to carry on the road that brought him to his final exploration. However, not knowing that his odyssey would cost him his life and the pain and suffering of the ones that loved him the most. Thus, many people ponder: “was he crazy?” “Why would he do something like that?” It is easy for one to wonder what was the impulse for such an adventure. What was driving his heart and soul to that lifestyle? Some people argue that he was just a reckless young kid trying to punish his family. However, some of this thoughts might be true; Alexander Supertramp, a name he adopted to symbolize a complete disconnection with his previous life, had deeper and more important reasons to his actions, his main intention was to pursue what made his soul feel at peace, he was looking for happiness and escaping from the ghost of a past that tormented him. Though, he surprised himself by realizing that his stubborn concept of happiness wasn’t completely right for himself. According to the google dictionary happiness is a state of mind of feeling characterized by contentment...
Words: 1338 - Pages: 6
...Cool Runnings is a nineteen ninety-three film about the sport of bobsledding. The movie freely portrays the storyline regarding the first Jamaican bobsled team. When Derice Bannock who is a top one hundred meter sprinter does not qualify for the nineteen eighty-eight Summer Olympics due to another runner accidentally tripping him, he recruits the help of a friend named, Sanka Coffie a professional push cart racer. Derice and Sanka decide on seeking the help of Irv Blitzer who is a two-time gold medalist at the nineteen sixty-eight Winter Olympics but was kicked out of the latter since he put weights under the front of his teams bobsled. When Derice and Sanka track down Irv in a local bar, he is not up to their idea of teaching them how to bobsled nor helping them in any way get to the Olympics. Derice though, remembers the relationship that Irv had with his father Ben. Upon recapping Irv of the time when he tried recruiting Ben who was also a sprinter to join his bobsled team, Irv reconsidered. The three then sought to find two other participants to complete their bobsled group. The two teammates they found were, Yul Brenner who was also tripped during the qualifying round of the Olympics as well as Junior Bevil who was the runner that tripped Yul as well as Derice. Now that the team was fully created, the four teammates did what they could in order to raise money so they could afford the trip to the Olympics. Some of the things that were tried include; singing on the street...
Words: 879 - Pages: 4
...the author's note Jon Krakauer claims that Christopher McCandless “invented a new life for himself' searching a raw, transcendent experience.” Do you agree with the author's assessment? How did McCandless re-invent himself? How was his life “transcendent” after he graduated from college? 2. Krakauer titles his book Into the Wild which echoes Jack London’s work, The Call of the Wild. McCandless was obviously influenced by London, and Krakauer suggests that McCandless’ experience demonstrates the “grip wilderness has on the American imagination, the allure highrisk activities hold for young men of a certain mind...” How do you define “the call of the wild?” Does the call still exist in the same form it existed in previous periods in America’s history? How is the “wild” or the wilderness important to us as a people? 3. McCandless was also greatly influenced by Henry David Thoreau. What did he borrow from Thoreau’s interaction with nature? How did he differ from Thoreau? 4. Gordon Young, who reviewed Into the Wild, said that McCandless “did not die in vain, and that his life was enviable in many respects.” Young asserts that McCandless was “a profound American figure, uncompromising 'in his approach and thoroughly optimistic about the future.” How is McCandless representative of the American character? Or how does McCandless fall short of what it means to be an American? Does McCandless in any way represent everything that is wrong about the American character? 5. Jon Krakauer first...
Words: 391 - Pages: 2
...Brandon Waldrep Period 2 9-28-14 AP Lang & Comp “Into the Wild” Essay Prompt #1 The presentation of Chris J. Mccandless story is influenced by the authors supposed relation to Chris, empathy for Chris, and emphasis of Chris’s intellectual/charismatic encounters with the people he meets. Krakauer portrays his views of Mccandless through these personalized presentations of Chris’s life or his own in the book. Krakauer uses, overall, empathy and emphasis of Chris’s good deeds and attributes in the presentation of his story to portray his views of Chris. Krakauer emphasizes opinions of people who encountered Chris throughout the book that tell about Chris’s good attributes. Westerberg, whom Chris worked with on a farm before going to Alaska, says “You could tell right away that Alex was intelligent” (Krakauer 18) and Franz, an old man that gets close with Chris, says “God, he was a smart kid” (Krakauer 52). These examples in the book of the author highlighting these opinions make you start to think it’s the authors. Especially since these opinions are from several different people, but all seem to focus on the opinion that Chris had intellectual ability. The book constantly reminds you of the author’s opinion of Chris throughout the characters in the book including Franz, Westerberg, Borah, Burres and Stuckey. All of Chris’s encounters with these people are drawn out, taking many pages of the book like chapter six that talks about almost nothing but Chris’s relation with...
Words: 896 - Pages: 4
